Toilet mechanism for cars.



A. L. BOWER.

TOILET MECHANISM FOR CARS. APPLICATION HLVBD 111111.13, 1909.

Patented June 27', 1911.

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A. L. BOWER.

TOILET MEGHANISM POB CARS. AP'PLIGATION FILED MARJa. 1909 Patented June 27, 1911.

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ADOLPHUS L. BOWER, 0F LIMA, OHIO.

TOILET MECHANISM FOR CARS.

Specification of Letters 4Patent.

Patented J une 27, 1911.

Application filed March 13, 1909. Serial No. 483,235.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnoLPHUs L. Bowan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lima, in the county of Allen and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and use'- ful Improvement in Toilet Mechanism for Cars, of which the following is a speoication.

This invention while relating more particularly to closet mechanism for railroad cars or analogous vehicles, is by no means limited thereto, but may be successfully employed in connection with any of the toilet accessories of the cars.

As is well known to the traveling public,

it is the ordinary practice to prohibit the use of the toilet rooms when cars are passing through townsfand cities, or are at depots, thus often causing inconvenience to passen- O'ers. b The primary object of the present invention is to provide mechanism which will permit the use of toilet appliances at anytime without any unsanitary consequences either upon the car or at the places along the track where the deposit of refuse is deemed undesirable.

A further object is to place this means under the control of the car porter or other railroad operative, who can actuate the same,

irrespective of whether or not the toilet is in use and without in any manner discommoding the occupant thereof.

The preferred embodiment of the inven tion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein :u

Figure l is a cross sectional view through a portion of a car, showing the apparatus in place. Fig. 2 is asectional view at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of a portion of the structure shown on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view substantially on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the valve. Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the lower end of the receptacle.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the gures of the drawings.

The car structure is designated generally by the reference numeral 8, and may be of any desired form. The car is provided with a suitable toilet room 9 containing a bowl 10 or other appliance having a seat 11. Depending from the bowl beneath the car, is a receptacle or receiver 12 having an open lower end which can be closed by a downwardly opening valve 13, hinged as shown at 14, to an ear 15 cast upon one side of the receptacle. The opposite side of said receptacle has a lug 16, in which is journaled a rock shaft 17, which is provided with crank arms 18. The rock shaft also has an arm 18a, and the arms 18 are connected to the valve by links 19 pivoted to said arms, and as shown at 20' to lugs upon the valve. The arm 18a has a link connection 2OEL with a crank arm 21 that is carried by the lower end of the vertical rock shaft 22. This rock shaft is disposed outside the toilet room, is journaled in suitable bearings 23, and has on its upper end a handle 24. It will thus be apparent that by operating the handle 24, the valve can be closed or opened, asdesired, and will be maintained in either position. Said valve has an upstanding boss 25 that fits within the lower end of the receptacle and is surrounded by a gasket 26.

Located at one side of the receptacle 12 is a reservoir 27 for sand or analogous mate! rial, having a downwardly inclined bottom 28 and having a delivery opening 29 in one side that is in communication with an inlet opening 30 in one side ofthe receptacle between the ends thereof. A lling chute 31, located in the iioor of the car, delivers to the reservoir, and has a suitable closure 32. The delivery opening 29 and the inlet opening 30 are normally separated by a vertically sliding valve 33 that is movable to a position to close the delivery opening, and is movable upwardly into a pocket 34. This valve has a stem 35 extending through the pocket, and surrounded by a coiled spring 36 that bears upon the valve to hold it in closed condition. The stem is connected, as illustrated at 37 to a lever 38 fulcrumed between its ends, as at 39 and extending through one wall of the toilet room. The projecting end of said lever has an upstanding stem 40 to which is connected an actuating handle 41. It will be evident that by depressing this handle, the inner end of the lever will be raised, thus elevating the slide valve, and permitting the material to feed downwardly into the receptacle.

lVith this structure, it will be evident that as long as the car is passing through the country, the valve 13 may be maintained in opened position, in which case the refuse will drop freely from the car. Vhen however, a city, town or depot is being appreached or is reached, irrespective of whether or not the toilet room is in use, the porter or other operative may swing the valve 13 to its closed position and raise the valve 29 to permit sand or other material to flow into the receptacle. The refuse therefore will be retained in said receptacle and may be discharged at any time desired.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advan tages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departingV from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is zl. The combination with a toilet receptacle having an open discharge mouth, of a downwardly swinging closure valve for said discharge mouth, pivoted to said receptacle, a rock shaft journaled on one side of the receptacle above the open discharge mouth, spaced crank arms carried by the rock shaft and located on opposite sides of the receptacle, links pivotally connected to the crank arms and to opposite sides of the valve, another arm carried by the rock shaft, an upstanding actuating shaft having an upper handle and a lower crank, a link pivotally connected to the third arm of the rock shaft and t0 the crank, and means for introducing sand into the receptacle between the ends thereof.

2. The combination with a toilet receptacle having an open discharge bottom, a seat at its top, and a lateral inlet between the seat and bottom, said receptacle furthermore having a pocket disposed above the lateral inlet, of a closure for the bottom, and means for operating said closure, a holder for sand disposed at one side of the receptacle and having' a discharge opening communicating with the lateral inlet below the pocket, a vertically movable valve operating across the inlet and movable upwardly into the pocket, said valve having a stem extending up! wardly through the pocket, a spring located in the pocket and bearing downwardly upon the valve, a lever fulcrumed between its ends, one end of the lever being connected to the valve stem, and an actuating device pivoted to the other end of the lever.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPHUS L. BOWER.

Witnesses: IV. T. COPELAND, W. L. ROGERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

